Cheese lovers set to flock to Artisan Cheese Fair

Exhibitors at this year's Artisan Cheese Fair in Melton will include Hamm Tun Fine Foods whose Cobblers Nibble is a multi award-winning hard English cheese made from pasteurised cows milk from a Northamptonshire Fresian herd EMN-160415-174716001

The first-ever Artisan Cheese Awards, to be held during this month's Artisan Cheese Fair in Melton, has been inundated with entries from cheesemakers throughout the UK and Northern Ireland.

The Artisan Cheese Fair is taking place at Melton Cattle Market, on Scalford Road, from Saturday, April 30 to Sunday, May 1.

It will be the first year of judging for the Artisan Cheese Awards - celebrating the craft and skill of the small artisan cheesemaker - with 335 entries received from 85 producers.

The category winners and Supreme Champion cheese will be judged on Friday, April 29 and will be announced at the Cheese Makers’ Supper in Melton on Saturday, April 30.

The finalists include producers from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, with particularly strong numbers of entries from Cornwall, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Ireland, Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire, Shropshire and Somerset.

Members of the public will judge ‘The People’s Favourite’ best artisan cheese during the cheese fair and the winner will be announced after the event.

Matthew O’Callaghan, organiser of the Artisan Cheese Fair, said: “We’ve been delighted with the response for entries for the first year of the competition.

“The breadth of cheeses nominated shows the strength of the artisan cheese making industry and it’s particularly encouraging that there have been almost 50 new cheeses launched in the last year.”

Entrance to the Artisan Cheese Fair is priced at £3.

For more information visit www.artisancheesefair.co.uk